Mending Shattered Sparks 3

Chromia is lucky enough to have the weapons locker and training range right next door to the rec-room. Once inside the room she takes a seat on the bench at the work table. It wasn't a lie about there being an old weapon for Magnus to look at, but it isn't the only reason she called him aside.

He slides his great frame onto the bench beside her and pulls a flask out of his hip pocket. He takes the cap off, takes a swig then hands it over to her. "Don't you dare tell Topspin I am sharing his secret formula."

With a cocked brow, she takes a swig then slams the flask down gasping for breath. He chuckles taking another swig as if it was just regular high-grade although giving off a slight hiss as it burns it's way down.

She's about to say something vial about it when she surprisingly finds she can breathe a little better. "What is in that?"

He shakes his head, "I don't know, I don't ask. It keeps the Wreckers upright and out of his bay most of the time."

Now comes the really loaded question. "Why are you taking it?" she asks.

He grazes a thumb over his covered spark chamber, "Hurts here."

She takes another swig of the flask although not gasping quiet as hard this time, "Yeah." Her thumb and her optics drop to the engraving on the flask. It's old, before Optimus was Prime. The insignia on it is of the old Cybertronian Army back when they were one society defending themselves against alien threats not fighting each other in a civil war.

His hand though wraps around her free one grazing his thumb slowly over the length of her thumb and trigger finger. "How are you holding up?"

She gives a light shrug as if to say, 'the best that I can'. Her actual words though speak more deeply, "I'm worried about Elita. Those femmes need her. She's a good commander."

"That she is," but his support is more for her than the one they are talking about.

Chromia doesn't say anything for a few minutes trying to decide if this is the right time and person to finally crash with. Being older than Elita and being bonded to a tough ol coot like Ironhide, she and her bondmate had openly teased about one dying and the other one hanging on to be a real bur in the Decepticon hides. The other had to stay alive for they wouldn't go down with something silly like spark-break.

Now though, she's not so sure. She really thought she was going to die when she felt his half of the bond go silent. The illness is just confirmation to her spark's weakened state. She grips down on the older mech's hand, "I'm worried that if I go first, she won't make it. I know she is noble, but she is also fatigued. Moonracer needs her to stay alive. Firestar…Arcee-"

Ultra Magnus can see the nobility in this femme as well. They are so tight they are not hanging on for themselves, but for each other much like they did for their mates. So much like tough Wreckers these fierce femmes are. They will throw themselves on a grenade to save the others lives, but will also hang on when they really just want to let go and pass on.

He has always admired Chromia's strength. Not only is she a good support to her Commander, but a good Commander herself. She's tough as nails, yet with a spark of purest love. She can sass the smirk right off Megatron's face one moment, then in the next let Ironhide bring her to her knees with just one kiss. They don't make femme's like her, she is just sharpened and smoothed in all the right areas with precious time and love.

"Chromia, help me convince Elita to bring you all back to Iacon," his throat tightens around the words he doesn't say.

Still, she thinks she heard the unspoken ones. Looking up into his tired and worried optics she sees those unspoken words. "M-Mags?"

The flask falls from her hand as she curls towards him. He doesn't care about the spilled medicine as he turns to pull her the rest of the way into his lap. Her fist slams into his chest plate and her sobs choke out her grief. "Why?! We were supposed to go together so the other wouldn't suffer. Why did he have to be so wonderful?! Why did Optimus have to die? And R-Ratchet? There were 'do not kill orders' on him!"

She might be sick, but her fists are still pretty powerful. Her fists are not what is causing him pain though. His spark aches reaching for her as she crumbles into a slur of unrecognizable words and hic-upping sobs. The old gentlemech does not stop her from releasing pent up emotions. He doesn't even stop her pounding fists from denting his chest plate.

Magnus just soothes his hand up and down her spine until her fist become nothing but pats against him. That's when he slides his hand from her spine to cover her fist with his larger one and nuzzles his cheek to her helm top.

"I'm so * tired, Mags *…So *..tired," her admission is broken by little hic-ups.

He says nothing more just scooping his other arm under her aft pinning her body to his as he swings his legs over the bench and rises. The older mech has more than taken care of his fair share of broken bots over the eons. Most of the time they are young soldiers facing their first gruesome battle, not a hard femme grieving for their long time mate. This is a bit new to him. Sure he's had a few of his soldiers (mech and femmes) lose their mates, but not like this and none like this gorgeous strong one.

That makes his throat swallow hard and almost stumble in carrying her to her quarters just through the next door. He won't lie, the dusky blue femme is soft on the optics for him. Watching her charge into battle conflicts him between wanting to protect her from her own brazenness or racing to be at her side just to feed off her lust for a win. It's no wonder Ironhide fell head over heals for her on the training range that first day.

Over and over again Magnus told himself Ironhide was the luckiest mech in the world to have such a femme in his life. He thought he was just jealous of the love they shared, but when Optimus took Ironhide away and the Wrecker Commander was left to do his routine checks with the Femme Division, he found his spark surge every time he got a chance to talk to Chromia instead of Elita. Not to say he doesn't enjoy Commander Elita's company too, just that he found he's a bit happier to hear the lit of Chromia in his audio and her smile for his optics.

Now as he enters quarters with the limp widow under his protection, he feels his spark battling. It will be all too easy for this situation to get out of control.

That is if she has even the slightest feelings for him that go beyond professional! If she doesn't and he makes a move only to be rejected, he's not sure how his personal pride will ever allow him to look at her again.

He knows the best thing he should do right now is walk away, but then again how can he when she is asking for his comfort? A deep rumble comes up from his chest in his frustration.

Chromia nuzzles her cheek into the sound of a strong deep mech's rumble. There is just something so masculine and comforting about their predatory growls that swells her spark. Sure she figured Ultra Magnus could make them too, she just never thought she would hear one. If anyone, the SIC figured the General would go to comfort the Prime's widow, but here his is giving his comfort to lowly her. Her fingers tighten down on both his grill bar and his hand so close to her lips.

"Magnus, * I understand if you have * to go, but… you * don't have to… if you don't want to."

It takes him a moment to realize she actually said it and it wasn't just his imagination playing games with him. "Al-alright."

Her berth is standard for a single average bot or even maybe a bonded couple closely entwined. As a heavy class mech, his fuller frame is not going to fit along with hers so easily. He is not a decorated battlefield Commander for nothing though. Adjusting on the fly is part of his specialties.
Magnus lowers his aft to the berth testing it's weight for both of them first. When it doesn't even creak, he shuffles until his back rests in the corner of the alcove berth and his heels barely rest on the outside edge. Chromia's thighs part on either side of his hips so that her torso lines perfectly against his. He desperately shoves the fact aside that their pelvic areas are resting against each other as well.

To distract himself further, he shakes her wadded blanket out so he can lay it over her shoulders and down her back much like a parent might hold a sick child. He tries so hard to think of it along those lines and almost has himself believing it until she asks a question:

"Mags?* Have you ever been in love?" Her fingers just have to be playing with his larger ones.

"Yes," he finds his voice croaking out.

"What was she like?" She just has to let her lips play over his own trigger finger.

He swears silently to himself. It's at the breaking point now. Does he keep his thoughts to himself or does he tell her? It's only been a few months since the death of her mate, but on the other hand how much longer will she last? Should he tell her there is more than Firestar, Moonracer or even Elita that needs her? He takes a deep breath then slowly lets it out. "Is."

Chromia looks up to him confused, "What do you mean 'is'?"

"You want to know what she is like? The femme I'm in love with?"

Chromia's chest hics again as she looks harder at him. She's seen a professionally compassionate side of him, but this personal compassion is …alluring. Now it's her turn to swallow slowly. There's something in those optics of his that she is quite familiar with. She's seen him look at her that way before, but for some reason she never noticed what it meant until now…it's a little bit like the look Ironhide had only for her. Chromia slowly nods her head wanting Magnus to answer the question.

Magnus decides it's now or never. Either she will shoot him on the spot or even hate him forever, but he knows that if he never tells her, he will die of a broken spark. Under his guidance, their linked hands come under her chin to lift it up further. "She's just perfect," and lowers his own face.

Chromia's not sure what kind of kiss she expected from the reserved General, but it wasn't this. Sweet, respectful, pulling and caressing like his hand is gripping her lower spine. Just as his thumb strokes a weak spot he knows about on her back, the tip of his tongue equally tastes her lip.

Just as her back falls under the spell of his thumb, her lips part and her own tongue invites his in. Ever so slowly and caressingly his tongue explores hers while the two thumbs caress her weak spot and the sensuous spot on her throat.

This time it is he that falls under the spell of her sound. That sedate moan of hers lets him know she is rather pleased with his caresses. She isn't going to shoot him now, but will she hate him in the morning? Magnus knows he should retreat, yet can not find the will to. Certainly not when she reaches up to grasp the nape of his neck and redirect his kisses to her own neck.

"How long?"

"I-I don't know," he mutters hungrily into a particular sweet spot.

"Y-you never said-"

That yanks his head back piercing her with daggers of warning, "You were honorably bonded! I would NEVER!" Then with a huff he looks away. "I just put it all together myself, truth be told."

Chromia turns his face back even if his optics won't look at her. "So you've had a crush on me?"

His face flames and he growls softly, "Don't make it sound so childish."

"Mags, you know I've always enjoyed or company and trusted you."

He shrugs, "Yeah well so does Springer."

Chromia strokes over his sad cheek, "Mags, will you miss me when I am gone?"

The great chest hitches at the though of laying this wonderful femme beside her dead mate. He softly shakes his head, "Please don't go. Elita needs you."

"Ultra Magnus….," the use of his full name begs him to say it straight out loud.

"I may not be bonded to you, but there will be a huge black hole in my spark if you go. But I of course will not stop you if you need to be with him."

That's when Chromia notices his hand has slipped past the soft spot on her back to cup her aft securing her body to his lap. His other hand brings her fingers to his lips where he kisses them ever so softly almost as to say good-bye.

His older lonely optics look into her weary ones, "I need you too, Chromia. I don't need you to love me back, just…."

Her thumb grazes his cheek again. Gripping her fingers into his grill, pulls herself to her knees bringing her optic to optic with him. "He was always crushed that you of all mechs didn't have a mate. Crushed to point he felt guilty."

"I don't want pity," he makes it clear he won't accept her attentions by default.

"Magnus, you and he have a lot of qualities that are similar and honorable." She leans in closer to whisper the next set directly on his lips, "And quite a number that are different. It always gave me a surge when you got mad that he left me behind."

Magnus knows he's in way over his head. Backed up against the wall, there is no place left to retreat. Mind as well accept his fate, "I will never leave you behind."

"Take me away with you," she pleads to his parted lips then slips her hungry kiss on him.

Magnus crushes her to his chest pushing all his love through his as-hungry kisses. Never has he ever wanted a femme as badly as he wants her right now!

Chromia knows this is not just grief of a half silent spark. This is an honorable mech she has always admired and adored. Now he is promising his love and his life to hers. He is giving her every reason to live! A second chance at life. Literally.

With her own chest parting, she fumbles trying to find the catches to his chest piece. They will not wait to strip all the kibble away. First things first, she needs him to give her a new surge of life before moving to more passionate love making.

Magnus releases her hand to shove his hand between them and throw the chest plate across the room. Chromia keens seeing the mech's pure spark.

"Magnus, you are gorgeous," and quickly reciprocates with her own spark coming into view.

"Chromia…," it's such a deep heady tone to her name, she's sure she just had an overload. Never has he ever spoken her name with such want.

Magus can see just how weak her spark really is. It's much worse than he ever could have imagined. He hopes his full spark does not accidentally snuff hers out in its desire to latch on. Carefully he coxes her closer letting her bleed into his spark rather than his surround hers first.

Her back bows in a way that should not be possible with someone so sick, but there she is, spark to spark with him, neck and head laid so far back he cups it in fear of it falling off. Her hip joints completely loosen putting the rest of her weight into the other hand still cupped around her aft.

"Darling," he whispers. There he can see all her pain for losing Ironhide but also the mixture of anger/pride she had in him for going with Ratchet and Optimus to support the fellow bonded mechs.

But there is something else he sees. It's a residual of Ironhide hidden within her spark like a secret message in case this moment ever came to be. It's not just that Ironhide felt guilty for Magnus not having a mate, he hoped that Ultra Magnus would look after Chromia if anything happened to him and… that Chromia would look after Ultra Magnus.

Both of them choke on a sob feeling Ironhide's hope becoming a blessing for both of them. One last plea he leaves them as he fades away into the past…"Make a future together."

The bond completes with tears streaming down both their faces and their lives feeling whole: one for the first time, the other once again.

As much as they want to stay like this forever, they both know Chromia needs to rest. So the sparks give a last kiss before retreating to their respective spark chambers taking a piece of each other with them.

Chromia softly touches the plates covering his spark chamber. He strokes a finger over the top of hers. This bonding has left him a bit tired as well. Whether it be from taking a bit of her broken spark with him or his own exhaustion from the long trip down to see her, he knows he won't last much longer. It makes him mad.

Chromia shushes him through the new bond letting him know it's alright to sleep. It's not his job to protect her always. If anything, watching him get some sleep will make her feel so much better. She's a bit concerned herself that she has given him a weakness with her sick spark.

For a compromise, he pulls the blanket back up around her shoulders, then slips his arms under and around her body much like a child might a stuffed toy. Chromia leaves one hand to his chest the, other she wraps around his waist nuzzling her face into his mechly scent.

It might be too soon for her to say those three words, but all the other emotions that lead up to them are most certainly felt for her new bondmate. He feels her pulsing those through their bond before he too shushes her to relax.

In a few moments both sparks are softly humming into recharge.

Tomorrow they will have to decide what they tell the others.